Sewing machine



Sept. 11, 1934. N v cHRlSTENSEN r AL 1,973,608

SEWING MACHINE Filed July 25, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet '1 N. v. CHRISTENSEN ETl' AL 1,973,608

SEWING MACHINE Filed July 25, 1932 Sept. 11, 1934;

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 J hdm n IQ WMW MX Sept. 11, 1934.

N. V. CHRISTENSEN El AL SEWING MACHINE Filed July 25, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Sept. 11, 1934. N. v. CHRISTENSEN ET AL 1,973,608

SEWING MACHINE Filed July 25, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 iwaa Patented Sept. 11, 1934 UNITED STATES SEWING MACHINE Norman V. Christensen, Chicago, and Harold J. Le Vesconte, Western Springs, 111., assignors to Union Special Machine Company, Chicago, Ill.,

a corporation of Illinois Application July 25, 1932, Serial No. 624,550

10 Claims.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in sewing machines, and more particularly to a sewing machine which is adapted for sewing heavy wide sections of fabric in the forming of relatively large articles. In an application filed by Norman V. Christensen, April 1'7, 1930, Serial No. 503,086, there is shown, described and claimed a machine for this purpose which includes asupporting bed, a work support carried thereby and a very long overhanging arm mounted on the bed and carrying a needle at the outer end thereof. Mounted on the needle head and the supporting bed beneath the same is the stitching mechanism, and a feeding mechanism which ineludes feed rollers, one of which is intermittently operated. The present invention is an improvement on the machine of this prior application.

An object of the invention is to provide a machine of the above type with a feeding mechanism which is located midway between the supporting base of the overhanging arm and the needle head and which is disposed so as'to engage the material passing beneath the overhanging arm in front of a line at right angles tothe feed and passing through the stitching point.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a front View of the machine embodying the improvements, the upper feed roller being intermittently operated;

Fig. 2 is a front end View of the same;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line C-C of Fig. 1;

Fig. dis a sectional view on the line DD of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a front View of a portion of the machine showing a modified form of feeding mechanism wherein the upper feed roller is a driven member;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the lower feed roller and-the parts mounted on the bed for intermittently operating the same from the main shaft;

Fig. '7 is a side view of a part of the lower feed roller operating means, the view being taken on the line B-B of Fig. 6, and

45. Fig. 8 is a sectional view on the line AA of Fig. 6.

The machine embodying the invention includes a supporting bed carrying a work support and a main actuating shaft-extending lengthwise of the bed and beneath the work support. Mounted on needle '7. Cooperating with the needle beneath the work support is a complemental stitch form- (Cl. 112-214) I ing mechanism, that is, the needle and the complemental stitch forming element cooperating therewith and the immediate devices for operating the same. Also mounted on the needle head and the bed adjacent thereto is a feeding mech- 0 anism consisting of feed rollers. The upper feed roller is a'driven roller and is mounted so as to yield vertically, while the lower feed roller is intermittently operated through a suitable driving clutch operatedfby the main shaft beneath the 5 work support. Mounted on the overhanging arm midway between the supporting base thereof and the needle head is a feed roller. Cooperating with this feed roller is a feed roller beneath the work support and moiuited on the bed. In one form of the invention, the upper feed roller ispositively gles to the line of feed at the stitching point and passing through the stitching point.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the

improved machine includes a supporting bed 1 carrying a work support 2 which are diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 1.

Mounted on the supporting bed is an overhanging arm 3. Said overhanging arm 3 is provided with a relatively short standard or supporting base i which is secured in any suitable way to the bed, so that the arm overhangs the work support and is free from engagement therewith at its front end. The

overhanging: arm 3 carriesa needle head 5 in which a needle bar 6 reciprocates carrying a ing element, (not. shown) and which may be of any desired character. The material is held on the work support at the stitching D int where the needle penetrates the fabric by a presser foot 8 carried by a presser bar 9 mounted in the overhanging arm. Located in rear of the presser foot is an upperfeed roller 10 carried by a bar 11 mounted for movement in lugs carried by the needle head. A spring 12 yieldingly presses the bar downward soas to hold the roller in contact with the material. I A lever 13 is used for raising the roller for the inserting of the material beneath the same. J

Cooperating with the roller 10'isa feed roller 1%. This feed roller 14, is intermittently rotated through a suitable clutch connection with the main shaft '72. This main shaft '72 is mounted in hearings in the bed and extends beneath the Work support and is driven by a belt wheel 16.

The needle is reeiprocated by a suitable connection with a shaft 1'7 carrying a gear 18 meshing with a gear 19 on the main shaft. This shaft 17 is shown in part only in Fig. 1. The parts thus far described, are shown, described and claimed in the application of Norman V. Christensen above referred to, and further detail description thereof is not thought necessary.

The present invention has to do with a feeding mechanism used in connection with this type of machine that is especially adapted for stitching heavy sections of fabric. The purpose of the long overhanging arm is to allow a relatively wide fabric section to be passed beneath the arm and stitched to another fabric section. These fabric sections are passed beneath the presser foot and between the feed rollers 10 and 14. r The present invention comprises a feeding mechanism which is located midway between the needle head and the base of the overhanging arm. As shown in Figures 1 to 4, inclusive, there is an upper feed roller which is intermittently rotated, and as shown in Figures 5 to 8, inclusive, there is a lower feed roller which is intermittently rotated.

The first form of the invention will now be described. The upper feed roller is indicated at 20 in the drawings. This upper feed roller 20 ,is mounted in a yoke 21 carried by a bar 22 which is mounted for movement in spaced lugs 23, 24 carried by a bracket 25 which is secured to the overhanging arm by suitable bolts 26, 26. Attached to the bar 22 is a collar 27. The collar is secured to the bar by a clamping screw 28. A spring 29 bears against the collar and against a threaded sleeve 30 mounted in the lug 23, and this spring serves to yieldingly press the roller 20 downward into'contact with the material beneath the same. The collar 2'7 is provided with spaced arms 31 which engage a post 32 attached to the bracket 25, and this serves to prevent the bar from turning in the lugs, while permitting said bar to move endwise therein. The clamping screw 28 is extended in the form of a pin, and a lever 33 pivoted to the bracket 25 has a cam portion extending beneath this pin, and serves as a means for lifting the feed roller 20 from the fabric. Cooperating with the feed roller 20 is a feed roller 34. This feed roller 34, as shown in Fig. 3, is journaled in a bracket 35 carried by the bed 1.

The feed roller 20, when it is a driven roller, is operated from the needle driving shaft 17. Mounted on this shaft is an eccentric 36 with which an eccentric strap 37 cooperates. This eccentric strap is pivoted at 38 to an arm 39 fixed to a shaft 40. When the shaft 17 rotates, it will impart oscillations to the shaft 40. The shaft 40 carries an arm 41 provided with aslot 42. Adjustably located in the slot 42 is a bolt 43. A link 44 is attached to this bolt at its upper end and is pivoted at 45 to an arm 46 of a clutch mechanism located Within the feed roller 20. The clutch mechanism is preferably of the type shown in the patent granted to Long and Sliwa, November 20, 1928, No. 1,692,130. Other types of operating clutches might be used. It is sufficient to state that this operating clutch includes a member which is oscillated when the arm 46 is vibrated and the member cooperates with clutch rollers for gripping the feed roller and imparting a stepped feeding movement thereto. There is also a clutch for preventing retrograde movement of the feed roller similar to that of the patent referred to. In Fig. 2 of the drawings, the rollers of the clutch which prevents the retrograde character.

movement are indicated at 4'7, and the member which is stationary and cooperates with these rollers to prevent the retrograde movement of the feed roller is connected to the yoke 21 by screws 48. When it is desired to adjust the travel of the feed roller, the connection between the link 44 and the slotted arm 41 is shifted.

The feed rollers 20 and 34 grip the fabric in front of a line at right angles to the line of feed at the stitching point, passing through the stitching point of needle '7. This is clearly shown in Fig. 2, where the center or axis of the feed roller 20 is illustrated as well in front of the needle. The direction of feed is from right to left across the work support, as viewed in Fig. 2. The purpose of placing the feed rollers in front of this line is so that the fabric section may be gripped by these feed rollers before or immediately after it reaches the needle for stitching. This enables the operator to take one of the heavy pieces of fabric which is to be stitched and place it beneath the overhanging arm with the front edge thereof in gripping contact with the feed rollers 20 and 34. This will hold the heavy fabric sectien in place and enable the operator to place the other heavy fabric section at the left of the needle, as viewed in Fig. 1, and with the edges of the two fabric sections properly placed so as to direct the same to the stitching mechanism. The positioning of the feed rollers not only aids in the initial positioning of the fabric sections for stitching, but it continually feeds the heavy fabric section passing beneath the arm and relieves the main feed from strain in handling these 1 heavy fabric sections. It is understood that the feeding movements of the feed roller 20 are timed with the feeding movements of the feed roller 10 so that both feed rollers operate simultaneously to impart a feeding movement to the fabric sections.

In Figures 5 to 8, inclusive, a means is shown whereby the lower feed roller 34 is intermittently driven, and the upper feed roller is an idle roller and rotated by contact with the fabric sections. The upper feed roller 20 is carried by the yoke 21 attached to the bar 22 mounted in lugs 23 and 24 in a bracket 25 attached to the overhanging arms by bolts 26. A spring 29 yieldingly moves the feed roller into contact with the fabric, and a lever 33 raises the same. These parts are precisely the same as those shown in Fig. 1, except that the operating clutches for the feed roller have been omitted, and theyoke 21 slightly modified.

Thev feed roller 34 is carried by a shaft 49 mounted for rotation in bearing lugs 50, 50 carried by a bracket 51 which is secured to the bed 1 of the machine. The shaft 49 extends through one of these bearing lugs and is connected to a shaft52 by a universal connection 53 of the usual The shaft 52 extends into a dIh-Jl 54 within which are clutch members such as shown in the Long and Sliwa patent'referred to above. The operating member of the driving clutch is connected to a shaft 55, and the operating member of the clutch which prevents retrograde movement is connected to the bracket 56 which is fixed to the bed of the machine by bolts 57, 57. The shaft extends along the bed and projects through a bracket 58 in which the main shaft 15 is journaled. Attached to the end of the shaft 55 is an arm 59 (see Fig. 8). The arm 59 is pivoted at 60 to a link 61 which is pivoted. at its other end to a bolt 62 mounted for adjust- "ment in a slot 63 in an arm 64 rigidly carried by a shaft 65. The shaft is mounted in a bearing carried by a bracket 66 which is secured by bolts 67, 67 to the bed of the machine. opposite end of the shaft 65 is 'an'arm 68. An

eccentric strap 69 is pivoted at 70 to this arm 68 and coperates with an eccentric 71 on the main shaft '72. As the'main shaft rotates, it will impart oscillations to this shaft 65, and the shaft 65 will in turn impart oscillations to the shaft 55. The oscillating shaft 55 operates through the clutch drum 54 to intermittently rotate the feed roller 34. This feed roller 34 which is intermittently rotated, is positioned precisely as the feed roller described in connection with Figures 1 to 4, and operates to engage the fabric section passing beneath the overhanging arm at a point in advance of the line at right angles to the main line of feed and passing through the stitching point.

It will be obvious that changes in the details of construction and the arrangement of the parts claims.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A sewing machine including in combination a supporting bed, a work support carried by said bed, an overhanging arm having a supporting base attached to said bed, a needle head at the free end of said overhanging arm, a needle bar therein, a needle carried by said needle bar. a feeding mechanism at the needle head, and a feeding mechanism disposed midway between the supporting base for the overhanging arm and the needle head and operating on the fabric section beneath the overhanging arm and at a point in front of a line at right angles to the line of feed at the needle head and intersecting the needle.

2. A sewing machine including in combination, a supporting bed, a work support carried by said bed, an overhanging arm having a supporting base attached to said bed, a needle head at the free end of said overhanging arm, a needle bar therein, a needle carried by said needle bar, a feeding mechanism at the needle head, and a feeding mechanism disposed midway between the supporting base for the overhanging arm and the needle head and operating on the fabric section beneath the overhanging arm and at a point in front of a line at right angles to the line of feed at the needle head and intersecting the needle, said last-named feeding mechanism including 00- operating feed rollers, and means for intermittently rotating one of said rollers.

3. A sewing machine including in combination, a supporting bed, a work support carried by said bed, an overhanging arm having a supporting base attached to said bed, a needle head at the free end of said overhanging arm, a needle bar therein, a needle carried by said needle bar, a feeding mechanism at the needle head, and a feeding mechanism disposed midway between'the supporting base for the overhanging arm and the needle head and operating on the fabric section beneath the overhanging arm and at a point in front of a line at right angles to the line of feed at the needle head and intersecting the needle, said last-named feeding mechanism including an upper feed roller, a yoke in which said roller is journaled, a bar supporting said yoke, a bracket carried by the overhanging arm and having lugs in which said bar is movable, a spring for forcing said bar downward, and the On the feed roller yieldingly into contact with the material, and means carried by said bracket for lifting said feed roller from the material.

4. A sewing machine including in combination, a supporting bed, a work support carried by said bed, an overhanging arm having a supporting base attached to said bed, a needle head at the free end of said overhanging arm, a needle bar therein, a needle carried by said needle bar, a feeding mechanism at the needle head, and a feeding mechanism disposed midway between the supporting base for the overhanging arm and the needle head and operating on the fabric section beneath the overhanging arm and at a point in front of a line at right angles to the line of feed at the needle head and intersecting the needle, said last-named feeding mechanism including an upper feed roller, a yoke in which said roller is journaled, a-bar supporting said yoke, a bracket carried by the overhanging arm and having lugs in which said bar is movable, a spring for forcing said bar downward and the feed roller yieldingly into contact with the material, and means carried by the bracket for preventing said bar from turning while permitting the bar to move endwise in said lugs.

5 A sewing machine including in combination, a supporting bed, a work support carried by said bed, an overhanging arm having a supporting base attached to said bed, a needle'head at the free end of said overhanging arm, a needle bar therein, a needle carried by said needle bar, a feeding mechanism at the needle' head, and a feeding mechanism disposed midway betweenthe supporting base for the overhanging arm and the needle head and operating on the fabric section beneath the overhanging arm and at a point in front of a line at right angles to the line of feed at the needle head and intersecting the needle, said last-named feeding mechanism including an upper feedroller, a yokein which said roller is journaled, a bar supporting said yoke, a bracket carried by the overhanging arm and having lugs in which said bar is movable a spring for forcing said bar downward and the feed roller yieldingly into contact with the material, means carried by the bracket for preventing said bar from turning while permitting the bar to move endwise in said lugs, and a lever pivoted to said bracket for lifting said feed roller from the fabric.

6. A sewing machine including in combination, a supporting bed, a Work support carried by said bed, an overhanging arm having a supporting base attached to said bed, a needle head at the free end of said overhanging arm, a needle bar therein, a needle carried by said needle bar, a feeding mechanism at the needle head, and a feeding mechanism disposed midway between the supporting base for the overhanging arm and the needle head and operating on the fabric section beneath the overhanging arm and at a point in front of a line at right angles to the line of feed at the needle head and intersecting the needle, said last-named feeding mechanism including an upper feed roller, a yoke in which said roller is journaled, a bar supporting said yoke, a bracket carried by the overhanging arm and having lugs in which said bar is movable, a spring for forcing said bar downward and the feed roller yieldingly into contact with the material, means carried by said bracket for lifting said feed roller from the material, and means for intermittently rotating said upper feed roller.

7. A sewing machine including in combination,

' last-named feeding mechanism including coopera supporting bed, a work support carried by said bed, an overhanging arm having a supporting base attached to said bed, a needle head at the free end of said overhanging arm, a needle bar therein, a needle carried by said needle bar, a feeding mechanism at the needle head, and a feeding mechanism disposed midway between the supporting base for the overhanging arm and the needle head and operating on the fabric section beneath the overhanging arm and at a point in front of a line at right angles to the line of feed at the needle head and intersecting the needle, said last-named feeding mechanism including an upper feed roller, a yoke in which said roller is journaled, a bar supporting said yoke, a bracket carried by the overhanging arm and havinglugs in which said bar is movable, a spring for forcing said bar downward and the feed roller yieldingly into contact with the material, means carried by said bracket for lifting saidfeed roller from the material, means for intermittently rotating said upper feed roller, said last-named means including a clutch mechanism Within the feed roller, an arm for operating the same, a rock shaft having a projecting arm, a link connecting the first-named arm to the arm on the rock shaft, and means for intermittently oscillating the rock shaft.

8. A sewing machineincluding in combination, a supporting bed, a work support carried by said bed, an overhanging arm having a supporting base attached to said bed, a needle head at the free end of said overhanging arm, a needle bar therein, a needle carriedby'said needle bar, a feeding mechanism at the needle head, and a feeding mechanism disposed midway between the supporting base for the overhanging arm and the needle head and operating on the fabric section beneath the overhanging arm and at a point in front of a line at right angles to, the line of feed at the needle head and intersecting the needle, said ating feed rollers, means for intermittently rotating one of said rollers, said last-named means including an actuating clutch, anarm for operating the clutch, a rock shaft having a projecting arm, a link connecting the arm of the clutch to the arm of the rock shaft, an eccentric member, an eccentric strapcooperating therewith, an arm carried by the rock shaft to which the eccentric strap is connected whereby oscillating movements are imparted to the rock shaft and intermittent feeding movements imparted to the feed roller.

9, A sewing machine including in combination, a supporting bed, a work support carried by said bed, an overhanging arm having a supporting baseattached to said bed, a needle head at the free end of said overhanging arm, a needle bar reciprocating therein, a needle carried by said needle bar, a feeding mechanism at the needle head, a feeding mechanism disposed substantially midway between the supporting base for the overhanging arm and the needle head and operating on the fabric section beneath the overhanging arm.

10. A sewing machine including in combination, a supporting bed, a work support carried by said bed, an overhanging arm having a supporting base attached to said bed, a needle head at the free end of said overhanging arm, a needle bar reciprocating therein, a needle carried by said needle bar, a feeding mechanism at the needle head, and a feeding mechanism disposed intermediate the supporting base for the overhanging arm and the needle head and operating on the fabric beneath the overhanging arm, said overhanging arm having the under face thereof inclining downwardly from the needle head to the supporting base thereof, and said work support having the fabric supporting face thereof beneath the overhanging arm disposed at a lower level adjacent said supporting base than the level beneath the needle head.

NORMAN V. CHRISTENSEN. HAROLD J. LE VESCONTE. 

